The overall representation of SCs in Central Government jobs exceeding the prescribed quota does not necessarily indicate equitable representation within the SC category. Comment.

Reservation for Scheduled Castes in direct recruitment on an all-India basis by open competition is fixed at 15% [3], yet SC representation in Central Government posts and services stood at 17.14% as on 01.01.2026 [1]. This aggregate surplus is real, but it is an average — and averages conceal distribution.

Why the aggregate figure looks satisfactory

• Sustained roster-based recruitment has kept SC representation above the mandated share for a decade: it was 17.49% as on 01.01.2016 [2] and remains above 15% today [1].
• SCs form a constitutionally notified category under Article 341 [3], comprising hundreds of distinct castes across States — so a single headline number aggregates highly unequal groups.

Why it does not prove equitable representation within SCs

• Data gap: caste-wise representation within the SC category in government service is not centrally maintained [1], so intra-group equity is literally unmeasurable.
• Dated baseline: Census 2011 remains the only source of caste-wise SC population and educational data [1], and the Government has stated that no national caste-wise survey of social, educational, economic, employment and political representation of SCs is under consideration [1].
• Vertical concentration: an overall percentage says nothing about distribution across Groups A to D, where better-placed sub-castes with earlier access to education tend to cluster in higher posts.
• Legal recognition: the Supreme Court in State of Punjab v. Davinder Singh (2024) upheld sub-classification within SCs, implicitly acknowledging graded backwardness inside the category.

Meeting a quota is a floor, not proof of fairness; substantive equality under Article 16(4) demands that benefits reach the least advantaged sub-groups, not merely the category as a whole. Building disaggregated, post-selection employment data — Group-wise and caste-wise — would let sub-classification be evidence-based rather than political, converting numerical adequacy into genuine social empowerment.